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WASHINGTON -- NASA is offering community and junior college students from across the country an opportunity to participate in a semester-long scholars program, culminating in a three-day visit to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Students who apply and are chosen for the National Community College Aerospace Scholars program will interact with NASA engineers and each other as they learn more about careers in science and engineering. Program participants will form teams and establish fictitious companies interested in Mars exploration during the 2010 spring semester. Each team will be responsible for developing a prototype rover, designing a line drawing of their rover, and forming a company infrastructure, including budget, communications and presentations.

Applications are due Dec. 15. To be eligible, students must be U.S. citizens enrolled at a community or junior college with an interest in science, technology, engineering, or math. Additionally, students must have access to the Internet and e-mail and be able to commit to full participation in the program, including a three-day residence at Johnson from May 20-22, 2010. NASA will select 45 program participants to attend the on-site event. NASA will pay their travel expenses.

"Almost half of post-secondary students are enrolled at community colleges, and few programs are available to them," said Linda Smith, manager of both this program and the Texas Aerospace Scholars program at Johnson. "NASA is proud to offer students nationwide this career opportunity to engage in disciplines critical to the nation's space exploration."

The National Community College Aerospace Scholars is a pilot program based on Texas Aerospace Scholars, a program created by the state of Texas in partnership with Johnson and the Texas education community. Both programs are designed to encourage community and junior college students to enter careers in science and engineering and join the nation's high technology workforce.

For more information about NASA's National Community College Aerospace Scholars, visit: